Who is Lionel Messi?
Lionel Messi is a renowned Argentine professional footballer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time. He is a forward and captain for Inter Miami, a major league soccer club, and the Argentina national team.
Messi is widely known for his exceptional dribbling skills, precise passing, and prolific goal-scoring ability. He has won a record eight Ballon d’Or awards, which is the highest award given to the world’s best player, during his career. FIFA has recognized him as the world’s top player eight times. also captained Argentina to victory in the Copa America in 2021, ending their long wait for a major international trophy, claiming a World Cup in 2022 and retaining the Copa in 2024.
He recently departed from the club in 2021. The record currently belongs to having won six Balloon d’Or awards and six European Golden Shoes. During his time at Barcelona, he contributed to the club’s success by winning 35 trophies, which included 10 La Liga trophies, 7 Copa del Rey titles, and 4 UEFA Champions Leagues. Messi has amassed over 750 senior career goals for both club and country, and holds the record for the most goals by a player for a single club.
| Real Name/Full Name | Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccitini |
| Date Of Birth | 24 June 1987 |
| Age | 38 years old |
| Birthplace | Rosario, Argentina. |
| Nationality | Argentine |
| Religion | Christianity. |
| Zodiac sign | Cancer |
| Father Name | Jorge Messi |
| Mother Name | Celia María Cuccittini |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Height | 5 feet 7 inch |
| Weight | 67 kg |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Antonela Roccuzzo (m. 2017) |
| Children | Ciro Messi Roccuzz, Mateo Messi, and Thiago Messi. |
| Siblings | Maria Sol Messi, Matias Messi, and Rodrigo Messi. |
| Profession | Professional Football Player. |
| Net worth | $1 Billion to $4 Billion. |
Biography
Lionel Messi’s birth date is June 24, 1987 and he is 37 years old as of March 2025. Jorge Messi is the name of his father and he manages a steel factory. His mother, Celia Cuccittini, is employed at a magnet manufacturing workshop. There are three siblings, two younger brothers Rodrigo and Matias, and a sister named Maria Sol.
Lionel Messi grew up in a family that loved football, leading him to develop a love for the sport at a young age. Grandoli, a local club, was where he began his journey at the age of four. During his two years as a player, his father was his coach. He joined the Newell’s Old Boys club at the age of six and played there for six years. He played for the club’s youth team and scored almost 500 goals for the team.
Spanish club Barcelona expressed interest in signing Jorge Messi’s son, finally making headway. In 2001, he became a member of the club and relocated with his family to Barcelona. In Camp Nou, the club rented an apartment for the family to be close to their stadium.
Personal Life
Antonela Roccuzzo, who was born in Rosario, has been Messi’s girlfriend since 2008. Lucas Scaglia, who plays football and is his boyhood best friend, is Roccuzzo’s cousin and he has known him since he was five years old. After a year of keeping their relationship secret, Messi acknowledged it in an interview in January 2009. After the Barcelona-Espanyol derby, they shared their relationship at a Carnival in Sitges a month later. Messi and Roccuzzo had three children: Thiago (born in 2012), Mateo (born in 2015), and Ciro (born in 2018).
Career
Messi began playing for the junior system ranks in 2000, marking the start of his career. He was the only player who played for five different teams in a short period of time. His excellence at the game was visible from the fact that Messi quickly moved through the junior system ranks to make a league debut on October 16, 2004 against RCD Espanyol. May 1, 2005 saw his first goal against Albacete, which came the following year. His emergence as the youngest scorer in a La Liga game for Barcelona made him a legend. Messi’s debut in the Championship League was finally possible after receiving Spanish citizenship in September 2005.
Messi was no longer a substitute in the 2006-07 season. He discovered himself in the eleven-member squad. Out of the 26 outings, he managed to net the ball fourteen times. He became the youngest player ever to score in this fixture by scoring a hat-trick in El Clasico. Messi was nicknamed ‘Messidona’ due to his similar approach to scoring goals to Maradona. For a particular goal, he ran about the same distance, 62 metres (203 ft), beat the same number of players (six, including the goalkeeper), scored from a very similar position, and ran towards the corner flag just as Maradona did in 1986 World Cup match against England in 1986 .
Messi had a successful year in 2009, winning his first Copa del Rey and helping his team win La Liga and the Champions League. The first Spanish club to win the treble was Barcelona, who achieved it with three victories in one year. Messi has been able to score a hat-trick multiple times. At the end of the season, he had a total score of 38 goals and 18 assists. Barcelona added six titles to their collection for the year by defeating Estudiantes at the 2009 Club World Cup before the year was over.
During the 2011-2012 season, he broke the La Liga and European records for the most goals scored in a single season. The honor of being Barcelona’s highest top scorer has been bestowed upon him. In 2015, Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or for the fifth time after losing it to Cristiano Ronaldo during a two-year hiatus. By the end of 2014-2015, he had established himself as the all-time La Liga goal scorer. He replicated the feat in Barcelona too. His sixth Ballon d’Or was awarded the following year, after he became captain of the club in 2018.
Messi has in his kitty 20 Player of the Year awards including FIFA World Player of the Year (1), World Soccer Player of the Year (3), Goal.com Player of the Year (2), UEFA Best Player in Europe Award (1), UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (1), FIFA U-20 World Cup Player of the Tournament (1), La Liga Player of the Year (3), La Liga Foreign Player of the Year (3) and La Liga Ibero-American Player of the Year (5).
Messi has been recognized as the top goalscorer multiple times for his ability to net the ball into the goal. Some of them include IFFHS World’s best Top Division Goal Scorer, IFFHS World’s Top Goal Scorer, UEFA Champions League Top Goalscorer, FIFA U-20 World Cup Top Goalscorer and Copa del Rey Top Goalscorer. In 2010, 2011, and 2012, Messi was awarded the European Golden Shoe three times. He was awarded the FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball on two occasions, in 2009 and 2011. The European Golden Boy award was given to him in 2005.
Net Worth
The highest-paid footballers in the world are Lionel Messi. Over the years, he has been able to accumulate a fortune thanks to this. The Argentinian has contributed a portion of his earnings to various companies in South America. The estimated net worth of Lionel Messi is between US$1-US$4 billion.
